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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27507394">At Least I Checked</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/jeanniemckay/pseuds/jeanniemckay'>jeanniemckay</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Stargate Atlantis</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fluff, Literal Sleeping Together, M/M, Spooning, little bit of panic, mostly just fluff though</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-08 03:35:50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,154</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27507394</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/jeanniemckay/pseuds/jeanniemckay</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After a nightmare it's easy to think the worst when we realise the room is quieter than normal. [Just fluff]</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Carson Beckett/Rodney McKay</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>At Least I Checked</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is just a quick one because...basically, this happened the other night to me and my husband. I had a bad dream, woke up and normally he's either snoring or breathing loud enough for me to hear, this time he wasn't. So essentially, I was Rodney, poking him because I was so terrified he'd stopped breathing and it turned out he was awake the whole time and hadn't wanted to make any noise so I'd fall back asleep. I don't think he's going to let me forget it for a while, so I thought I'd turn my embarrassment into Rodney's to make me feel better. -JM</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was with a start that he woke, the nightmare still fresh in his mind. The darkness and terror was still present, flickering around the edges of his brain and vision. His stomach was in knot, his heart racing and his lungs gasping for air that he’d seemingly been unable to get during his dream. He forced himself upright in bed, extricating his feet from where they’d become trapped in the sheets as he’d moved. The room was as quiet as the grave, okay, maybe not the best analogy after the dream he’d just had, but it was all his muddled, petrified brain could come up. Flashes of images kept bursting in front of his eyes, but the longer he sat there the more indistinct they became.</p><p>After another couple of minutes he raised a slightly shaky hand and rubbed his eyes, wiping away the sleep and grit that had gathered in the corners. It wasn’t like this was the first time the dreams had forced him awake, it was always the same. Ever since he’d come to Pegasus they’d plagued him at some point or another, but that didn’t mean he was used to them. They still made his pulse race and his heart hammer against his ribs. If he were a cartoon it would be jumping out of his chest in comic fashion.</p><p>A sliver of moonlight suddenly filtered through the thin curtain covering the window, illuminating a small chunk of the room. It fell across the desk, lighting up his laptop as though beckoning him to chase away the last vestiges of fear with work. For a moment he was tempted. He could just get up, get dressed and head to the lab. It wouldn’t be totally awful. He’d dealt with working on little sleep before, he could just dose himself up on caffeine.</p><p>No. He was meant to be resting, he’d been told in no uncertain terms by pretty much everyone that he should rest. With a soft groan he led his head fall back against the wall with a low thud. They’d all ganged up on him: John, Teyla, Elizabeth, Carson, even Ronon had betrayed him! They’d decided together that he needed a couple of days off, since he hadn’t taken any leave in…well, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a day off to be honest, but that wasn’t the point! He was invaluable! The scientists in his team would never get any work done if he wasn’t there to be a beacon of inspiration. Strangely enough that hadn’t won his friends round.</p><p>With a quiet grumble he shuffled back down the bed, lying himself back down before turning onto his side, towards the window. He might as well try to get back to sleep. His heartrate was beginning to return to normal but there was still an uneasy feeling settled in his gut.</p><p>Rodney was about to close his eyes when he realised why that disquiet hadn’t left yet. He hadn’t heard any noise. No soft snore, no gentle breath. Nothing. His eyes, which had started to drift closed, flew open with panic. He held his breath, listening desperately for some sort of sound but there was nothing. He swallowed thickly as he moved his arm out, searching for the warm body that he knew was only a few inches away.</p><p>His fingers brushed against skin and his heart seemed to falter: it was cool. Not cold, not yet, but cool. Too cool. Way too cool for someone to have been under sheets for half the night. Panic was rising in him know, his whole body began to tremble as his fingers clutched at the arm next to him.</p><p>“Oh God.” He murmured, his brain seemingly full of static in an instant as all he could focus on was the silence around him. Without thinking he moved his fingers from his partner’s arm, instead moving past and jabbing them into the soft flesh around what he assumed was his ribs. He pushed and prodded, desperate for a reaction, whilst all the while the static in his mind slowly began to turn into a scream.</p><p>He couldn’t be…this couldn’t be happening! This wasn’t meant to happen! He couldn’t just stop breathing in the night, that didn’t happen! Well, it did, alarmingly often if you looked at statistics which of course Rodney had once when he’d had a bought of hypochondria and thought he wasn’t getting enough oxygen at night. But that didn’t mean that it should be happening now! He had to be okay, he had to. Oh God, please don’t be -</p><p>“Wha’? S’going on? Why are you poking me? Ye daft bugger, get off!” Relief flooded through him, instant and intense. He kept his hand on Carson’s side, feeling the gentle rise and fall as he breathed.</p><p>“You weren’t breathing!” He snapped but there wasn’t any real venom behind it, he was too relieved to be really annoyed.</p><p>“What? ‘Course I was! You woke me up with your bloody tossing and turning, so I thought I’d just stay quiet ‘till you fell asleep! Not likely now, you bloody madman, giving me bruises!” Rodney blinked in the semi-darkness, his relief finally giving way to something was felt a little like embarrassment.</p><p>“Oh.” He replied awkwardly, his hand finally leaving Carson’s side and moving back to his own side of the bed. He pursed his lips, shame chasing off the last vestiges of fear and relief.</p><p>“Yes, oh indeed.”</p><p>“S’Not my fault. You should breathe louder.” He grumbled, turning away from Carson in an effort to hide as he folded his arms as best he could.. It had been a stupid panic over nothing. It wasn’t like Carson had sleep apnoea or anything. It must have been that ridiculous nightmare forcing his mind into dark places and he’d gone and…panicked, again.</p><p>“Oh come here, ye daft bugger.” This time the insult was affectionate as he felt Carson shift closer to him in the bed, wrapping an arm around him and pulling him back against his chest. Rodney remained stiff as a board for a moment longer, not wanting to give into the comfort his partner was offering but eventually he couldn’t help but melt against him. From here he could feel the reassuring movement of Carson’s chest and the warmth radiating from him.</p><p>“At least I checked.” He murmured as his eyes began to close of their own volition, the adrenaline that had run through him mere moments before leaving without a trace.</p><p>“Hm?” Carson hummed near his ear.</p><p>“At least I checked you weren’t dead.” He clarified with a small shrug and he felt, rather than heard Carson’s chuckle.</p><p>“Mhm, that’s good to know, Rodney. Get some sleep, love.” The term of endearment was the last thing he heard before he drifted back off to sleep, safe as the little spoon in Carson’s arms.</p>
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